Hi!
Peter Bleackley <[log in to unmask]> writes:
> A quick calculation on the train reveals that Khangažyagon has 5936
> possible noun forms and 2304 possible finite verb forms. This explains why
> I don't tend to use the term "case" with respect to Khangažyagon's
> agglutinating noun system.
> Is there anyone else whose languages produce such multiplicities of forms?
The number of forms in my agglutinative Fukhian cannot be counted at
all because you can add and add and add endings if you like.
Apart from basic things like 'case', most of the forms are lexicalised
like suffixed adpositions, negation, endings expressing 'some', 'only'
and the like. Some numbers can be suffixed and so can possessive
pronouns.
And also, after a recent reanalysis I found that Fukhian has no verbs
(I was surprised, but the situation was quite clear): you can add
verbal endings to anything, including incorporated pronouns. This
alone gives you quite an uncountable number of forms.
Example:
dzafneGl
dzaf + n + e + g + l
'love' + 1ps + incoorp.pron. + 2ps + ACC
[tTaf.mE.gl=]
'I love you.'
Finally, Fukhian has many derivational endings, so you can make an
advective and add degree and then convert it back to a noun and add
verbal endings, etc.
Example:
bbaix /pa_Ix/ - 'attention'
bbaix + il - 'noun: attention giving'
bbaix + il + eim - 'paid attention to'
bbaix + il + eim + uu - 'unnoticed'
As an advective, it can get a degree:
bbaix + il + eim + uu + eb - 'less unnoticed'
And a verbal complex:
bbaixileimuueb + or + uj + d - 'he/she/it would have been less unnoticed'
And a marker for a subordinate clause:
bihoxorujd bbaixileimuueborujdoz.
[bIhOXOrUSt pa_IxIlEImUwEbOrUZdoT]
'If he/she/it had been more rude, he/she/it would have been less unnoticed.'
This usually makes no sense after a certain amount of endings, but it
is still impossible to give a general upper bound.
Fukhian is described here:
http://www.theiling.de/projects/fuch/
**Henrik